The present invention relates to an insect cage, and in particular, the invention relates to a transparent cage or container for retaining an insect and which has a ramp for the insect to climb into a rotatable wheel.
Numerous types of cages and containers for animals and birds are known in the prior art and many of these cages have wheels or exercise devices for the creatures contained therein. Often, the devices smiply consist of a cage containing a wheel, or in some cases a disk, which is mounted for rotation. Most usually, the animal enters the wheel and causes the wheel to rotate by walking around the interior surface of the wheel.
Specific types of cages and exercise devices for animals and birds are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 511,272 to Hughes, 1,632,380 to Marcus, 2,640,460 to Siegel, 1,794,951 and Re. 18,273 to Freer, and 4,498,421 to Lovitt. All of these patents show different types of exercise devices for animals, rodents or birds, wherein a rotatable wheel is provided.
In U.S. Pat. No. 511,272 to Hughes and British Patent No. 1,415,574 to Willinger, et al., the patents disclose exercise devices employing a rotatable device upon which an animal or rodent can exercise, and in addition a set of steps is provided so that the animal or rodent can mount the rotatable device. In the Willinger, et al. device the rotatable member is a wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, and in the Hughes device, the rotatable member is a planar disk mounted for rotation about a generally veritically oriented, but slightly inclined, axis.
The prior cages and exercise devices allow the animal, bird or rodent to generally exercise or move about inside the wheel device which is provided. While the prior devices are provided for use by animals, birds and rodents, a need further exists for some type of device for use with insects and extremely small creatures. Furthermore, in providing a device of the size compatible with an insect, it is also desirable to provide an apparatus which, unlike the prior art devices, is adapted so that the insect can easily mount the outside of a vertical exercise wheel in addition to moving about within the wheel.